Jeremy Roach returning to Duke
After testing NBA waters, guard will come back to Blue Devils and boost backcourt
Duke’s lone captain from last season isn’t finished yet in Durham.
Jeremy Roach announced Monday that he’s returning for a fourth season with the Blue Devils after entering the NBA draft process last month.
Roach’s return gives Duke one of the top backcourts in the country, along with sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor and incoming freshmen Caleb Foster and Jared McCain.
Roach scored 8.7 and 8.6 points per game in his freshman and sophomore seasons, respectively, before scoring 13.6 per game this past season. He battled through a toe injury suffered on the weekend after Thanksgiving that eventually made him miss four games.
The 6-2, 180-pounder played his best basketball down the stretch of the season, highlighted by back-to-back 23-point games against Virginia in the ACC championship and Oral Roberts in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Those marked career-highs for the Leesburg, Va., native.
Scoring average is just one of the areas Roach has improved over his first three seasons in Durham, in which he’s been a part of a Final Four team and an ACC champion. His 3-point shooting has gone from 31.3% as a freshman to 34.3% last season; and his free-throw percentage was 67.5% as a freshman and 78% last season.
This means 12 of Duke’s 13 allotted scholarships are taken entering next season. The remaining opening is likely to be filled by a rim-protecting center through the transfer portal.